I do wonder if some flashing light or sign could operate to warn of them rising?
There are red and green lights showing when the bollards are going up and down and when it is safe to continue. In addition, in order to have got as far as the bollards, the driver will have driven past / ignored / failed to see signs not too dis-similar to these.....(there are a few more but these are the nearest)
There are red and green lights showing when the bollards are going up and down and when it is safe to continue. In addition, in order to have got as for as the bollards, the driver will have driven past / ignored / failed to see signs not too dis-similar to these.....(there are a few more but these are the nearest)
Thanks for the pics, but static signs are not what I am on about and some of the signs you show make no mention of rising bollards. Any pics of flashing signs/lights to warn of imminent rising? Thanks.
...but static signs are not what I am on about and some of the signs you show make no mention of rising bollards. Any pics of flashing signs/lights to warn of imminent rising? Thanks.
Let's be realistic. At the moment people that drive into the bollards blame all kind of things, including not seeing the signs. If you install flashing lights people will still try to run them (just watch the youtube videos of people running red lights at rail crossings), and they'll just blame something else. Indeed, when the bollards were installed people blamed the signage. The signage was changed, but people still blamed the signage.
Of course, it could just be that they're not from around here, and that absolves them of responsibility when it comes to road signs that they are obliged to follow in any other part of the country.
Let's be realistic. At the moment people that drive into the bollards blame all kind of things, including not seeing the signs. If you install flashing lights people will still try to run them
Of course, it could just be that they're not from around here, and that absolves them of responsibility when it comes to road signs that they are obliged to follow in any other part of the country.
I hope that you never make an error in a strange part of the country. Me, I used to drive 40,000 miles a year, but I remember two errors. Going the wrong way down a one way street in London and driving in a buses only zone in Cardiff. None of us is perfect.
Me, I used to drive 40,000 miles a year, but I remember two errors. Going the wrong way down a one way street in London and driving in a buses only zone in Cardiff. None of us is perfect.
Yep, I have made the one-way street error before. Entirely my own fault. The signage was there. What I didn't do afterwards was complain that the signs were inadeqaute/too high/too low/not lit up and flashing. At the time my job was to travel to customer sites from Oxford to most places on the south coast. Most of the time this was to places unfamiliar to me. That didn't give me an excuse not to obey the road signs in those places I went to.
And that's my beef with the "out of town" defence. It's not that much of a defence considering that the same signs could be found anywhere in the country and would still require you to obey them.
The majority of the time though, I'm convinced the "hits" we get at the bollards are people trying their luck. In exactly the same way that people do with rail crossings, and in exactly the same way that people do every day at regular traffic lights by running red lights. But, as I've said before, the easy way to tell is to plant a CCTV camera on the bollards and watch what happens.
I think what you say it true, but I also think that it is unlikely that anyone does chance the bollards knowing they will become unstuck. My view is, most people don't notice the signage, but when they do, they get confused as to what to do and precede in the hope the bollards will not start to rise when they move forward. The signage is plentiful, indeed, maybe too plentiful, but it is also rather ambiguous to the unfamiliar. Signage with nothing but No Entry, or One Way street, is unambiguous, but a speed limit sign on a street that you are not meant to use does give a mixed message the first time you see it, and only for a second or so at most.
Yep, I have made the one-way street error before. Entirely my own fault. The signage was there. What I didn't do afterwards was complain that the signs were inadeqaute/too high/too low/not lit up and flashing.
You didn't end up with your car smashed to %$%& either though did you?
Signage with nothing but No Entry, or One Way street, is unambiguous, but a speed limit sign on a street that you are not meant to use does give a mixed message the first time you see it, and only for a second or so at most.
The speed limit could easily be extended to the end of Wharf Street (junction with Wharf Road) which would move the signs and reduce the confusion at the bollards.
Watched a car come up Bartholomew Street from Clocktower end. About 1.00 on Friday. The road was really busy as the kids had broken up. There were no buses or other vehicles, so he must have gone on the wrong side of the road to get past the bollards. He then crossed the bridge on a red light. A police van then made him turn around and go back. Wrong side of the road, driving in a pedestrian area, driving through red lights. Cannot think of any excuse you can make for him. Didn't see the massive signs or an out of towner doesn't really wash.
You didn't end up with your car smashed to %$%& either though did you?
Nope, but had there have been a car coming the other way it may have been a different story, and I still wouldn't have been able to blame anyone other than myself. If that had happened should I have blamed the relevent council like people do here?
As I understand it, the bollards are there to stop cars from entering the pedestrian zone. While I am sure that some people find themselves up against the bollards unintentionally (ie they took a wrong turn but decided to try and carry on through), there will be others (the majority in my opinion) that think that they can get through before the bollards rise, because they either want to be able to drive right into town, or cut through it, or any other number of selfish reasons. It's these people who only give a toss about themselves that are the danger to others, and these are the people that need to be physically prevented from driving through town.
If there were fixed penalty system in place then that would save the cars of those who claim to have not seen the signs or arrived there unintentionally, but it would also mean that people who try to "jump" the bollards because they want to drive through town would be able to do so and only pick up a FPN for their trouble. Many of those people, I'm sure, wouldn't give a toss about a £30 fine. If it were a fine and points on licence scenario then that might be more of a deterrent, but again, it's a retrospective action and does nothing to protect those people using the pedestrian area at that time which is surely the primary task for the bollards in the first place.
One of the things that I am noticing recently (not just in Newbury) on pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights, like the one at St John's Vehicles stop on red to let pedestrians cross. As soon as the pedestrians have crossed, vehicles drive on through even though the lights are still showing red.
Sorry for being "new". One day I hope to have to my credit as many useful posts as you have made.
I guess you don't have an irony detector then VB... If you did a 'Bollards' search on the forum there would probably be 20 pages of 'hits' on this subject........... (Hits.... geddit? bollard hits.? ...oh suit yerself.)
Quoted from 1247
Thanks for the pics, but static signs are not what I am on about and some of the signs you show make no mention of rising bollards. Any pics of flashing signs/lights to warn of imminent rising?
All that's missing is a Ship's Horn blasting out at 200 decibels.... The sign right by the bollards even says "STOP! Danger of damage Rising bollards" (or something similar)
It does make you wonder, some drivers are driving into the bollards when they are fully erected.
There are many more incidents on these bollards than people realise. Obviously if your vehicle is disabled you have no choice other than to wait around for the tow truck. Others where the car is still driveable, pick up the pieces, chuck them in the boot and drive off.
I understand that repairs to these bollards which are not attributable to an insurance claim are becoming quite excessive. Cheaper to have a Green Meanie stood on guard.
It does make you wonder, some drivers are driving into the bollards when they are fully erected.
There are many more incidents on these bollards than people realise. Obviously if your vehicle is disabled you have no choice other than to wait around for the tow truck. Others where the car is still driveable, pick up the pieces, chuck them in the boot and drive off.
I understand that repairs to these bollards which are not attributable to an insurance claim are becoming quite excessive. Cheaper to have a Green Meanie stood on guard.
But if we had a green meanie would anyone stop to pick up the pieces??
...some drivers are driving into the bollards when they are fully erected.
It does indeed make you wonder why. Are they distracted by something? Can they not see them? If it's neither one can only assume that they think the bollards will lower as they approach (not entirely unreasonable, seeing as they may have witnessed that happening when a bus/taxi approaches). But even so, when they don't move you'd surely stop wouldn't you?
Talking of erect bollards, could they not be fitted with a rubber sheath, - perhaps inflated, like a tyre - so that cars would bounce off them without serious damage? It seems the current bollards are deliberately designed to fully penetrate the soft underparts of errant vehicles.
Talking of erect bollards, could they not be fitted with a rubber sheath, - perhaps inflated, like a tyre - so that cars would bounce off them without serious damage? It seems the current bollards are deliberately designed to fully penetrate the soft underparts of errant vehicles.
Yours etc.
S Freud
I'm not sure they ever achieve full penetration. Indeed, if there hasn't been too much force involved, then it could be that all that is required is some touching up around the front. *snigger*
It does make you wonder, some drivers are driving into the bollards when they are fully erected.
You can't even write them off as chancers, running the bollards trying to get through before they rise or as "out of towners" who tailgate a taxi and didn't see the seven signs they've driven past.
Surely they should be banned from driving if they can't spot two fixed objects in the middle of the road?
Clearly, User, the problem is that that they don't see the bollards.
We need to replace them with something that's much more eye catching.
I propose that when you get into the office you suggest to Messrs Carter and Jones that they start urgent discussions with Ann Summers about the possibility of using bollards shaped like huge [redacted]. The site of these enormous [censored] thrusting out of the road into their fully erect positions would, I'm certain, be noticed by anyone. To further improve visibility in the winter after dark they could pulsate with red and purple light during the erection process, rather like our new 'Blackpool illuminations' style clocktower.
Not only would these new bollards be phenomenally effective from a visibility perspective, people would travel from miles around just to see them which should delight anyone responsible for West Berkshire's tourism strategy. I can imagine them going 'viral' on Youtube pretty much instantly.
Overall, I think there's a big opportunity for you to position yourself as WBC's bollards champion. I'm sure that the aforementioned Carter and Jones don't have time to visit this forum so feel free to take full credit for this idea when you raise it with them. I'm confident that, in these days of public private partnerships and severe funding shortfalls they'll grasp this innovation firmly with both hands.
If we're going down that route can I suggest that an additional bollard is introduced?
Perhaps while the main intrusion is via the new pulsating bollard to the front of vehicle we could have a smaller softer bollard pop up to the rear of vehicle to hold it in place. The soft bollard should rotate and rub against the vehcle 's exhaust pipe... I'm sure Ann Summers have a scaled down model somewhere if I can find the link.........
Clearly, User, the problem is that that they don't see the bollards.
We need to replace them with something that's much more eye catching.
I propose that when you get into the office you suggest to Messrs Carter and Jones that they start urgent discussions with Ann Summers about the possibility of using bollards shaped like huge [redacted]. The site of these enormous [censored] thrusting out of the road into their fully erect positions would, I'm certain, be noticed by anyone. To further improve visibility in the winter after dark they could pulsate with red and purple light during the erection process, rather like our new 'Blackpool illuminations' style clocktower.
Not only would these new bollards be phenomenally effective from a visibility perspective, people would travel from miles around just to see them which should delight anyone responsible for West Berkshire's tourism strategy. I can imagine them going 'viral' on Youtube pretty much instantly.
Overall, I think there's a big opportunity for you to position yourself as WBC's bollards champion. I'm sure that the aforementioned Carter and Jones don't have time to visit this forum so feel free to take full credit for this idea when you raise it with them. I'm confident that, in these days of public private partnerships and severe funding shortfalls they'll grasp this innovation firmly with both hands.
Won't they get mistaken for some of the staff in Market Street and deliberately run over??
Noobree you must learn to think these things through first!
They've managed to push it into the Market Place. Interesting to see how a recovery truck gets to them legally, since the bollards have now gone back up again.
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